Suspect accused of causing girlfriend’s 2024 death turns himself in
A Pierce County man facing second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter charges for the 2024 death of his former girlfriend turned himself in on Wednesday, according to his defense lawyer.
Pierce County prosecutors allege 29-year-old Kai Domonic Butler either murdered or recklessly caused the death of 23-year-old Tashyla Combs after he unlawfully imprisoned her in his car on March 14, 2024, according to case documents. Combs died five days later.
A bench warrant was issued for Butler on March 18, almost exactly two years after Combs’ death.
In addition to the murder and manslaughter charges, prosecutors also charged Butler with second-degree assault, fourth-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment and first-degree criminal mistreatment.
Butler’s prior record runs to 18 criminal convictions, 11 of which are related to domestic violence, according to case documents.
What happened
The incident began around 10 p.m. outside of Comb’s mother’s house in the Frederickson area, a Sheriff’s Office detective alleged in charging documents.
A Ring camera allegedly captured an argument between the couple about Combs’ missing phone after she told Butler she wanted to “break up”.
They continued to argue as Combs went into Butler’s front passenger seat to look for her missing phone. Butler then allegedly pulled her out of the car and onto the ground.
Upon hearing the commotion, Combs’ ex-boyfriend - who lived at her house at the time - came outside to see what was happening when Butler allegedly drove his car at the man, forcing him to move out of the way.
The ex-boyfriend witnessed Combs open the passenger door and lean into the vehicle to continue searching for her phone until Butler made an “aggressive driving move” that caused her to fall into the car as he drove away, charging documents say.
As Butler drove out of the neighborhood at a high rate of speed, the ex-boyfriend recalled hearing Butler yell at him, “I’m gonna f*cking kill you.” Combs was allegedly heard screaming from the car as Butler drove past the Ring camera.
“As Butler turned north onto 78th Ave E from 165th St Ct E, Combs either jumped, was pushed, or otherwise fell out of his moving vehicle, striking her head on the road and knocking her unconscious,” the detective wrote in a sworn declaration.
Cell phone data allegedly showed Combs fell out of the car around 10:09 p.m. When her ex-boyfriend tried to call her, a message was sent from her phone seven minutes later saying “Leave me alone,” and “You ruin everything,” according to the probable cause document.
The detective wrote that Combs could not have sent those messages as she was unconscious. Her phone was later found in Butler’s possession and cellphone data from her phone indicates it was likely in his car throughout the evening, case documents say.
Butler allegedly said that Combs jumped from his car, and that he turned around and put her in his car to drive her to his mother’s house. He reported waking up his cousin, who helped him carry her into the house.
He allegedly said that he couldn’t call 911 because his phone was dead.
The detective wrote that Butler didn’t seek medical attention for Combs for five hours, and that his version of events changed multiple times when speaking to his family and law enforcement.
The Medical Examiner’s Office determined Combs died of blunt-force injury to the head.
A GoFundMe started for Combs and her family in 2024 described her as a “beautiful pure soul.”
